<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Affection by EternalElegy</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24789619">Affection</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalElegy/pseuds/EternalElegy'>EternalElegy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, JunIba Day 6/18/2020, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:13:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,430</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24789619</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalElegy/pseuds/EternalElegy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jun and Ibara had been living together for a while now, but that didn't make life any less boring.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Saegusa Ibara/Sazanami Jun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Affection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I’m home!” Ibara announced, opening the door to the apartment and taking off his shoes after a long day at work and school.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Welcome home.” He heard Jun reply back, accompanied by the sound of sizzling. Ibara was instantly assaulted with the smell of frying shallots and suddenly he couldn’t wait to have dinner. Jun was by no means a slouch at cooking, but there was something about having a meal made with love that made everything tastier, as cheesy as it sounded. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Jun, it’s 9PM. Why are you making dinner now?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You usually come home late and you always have to microwave your dinner, so I thought to change things up a bit by making it a bit later so you can eat it while it’s still hot and freshly made.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You know I’ll always eat your cooking anyway.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“That doesn’t stop me from feeling a bit jealous whenever you have to eat from the cafeteria because you’re coming home super late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara laughed as he headed towards the fridge. Today he had bought a surprise for Jun and he needed a place to store it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hey, don’t look in the fridge-” Jun’s warning was too late.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh? What’s this?” He eyed the food of interest.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s pudding. I was planning on treating you with that because you’ve been working a lot lately.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ah! You’re a sharp one to know that I like pudding.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I also know that you sneak sweets every now and then despite telling practically everyone else that you adhere to a strict diet.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh no, please don’t blackmail me~” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah yeah-” Jun turned to look at Ibara, and his eye caught a box in his hand. “What’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a surprise!” Ibara put the box in the fridge. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“That’s not fair, you saw the pudding.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“That doesn’t mean I have to show you! You’ll have to wait until after I finish eating, so we can eat our surprises together!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun added assorted vegetables to the pan. Ibara left the kitchen to put down the rest of his belongings and take off his jacket before returning.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Want help with anything?” Ibara asked.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You can go rest while I cook. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.” Jun replied without taking his eyes off the stove.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“In that case, I’ll do the dishes.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We’ll do them together so we can go to bed more quickly.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Jun-”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Why do you have to insist on doing everything anyway? Do your workaholic tendencies also extend to chores?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You specifically stayed up to cook for me at this time, so I should do something in return.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, we’re doing this together, okay?” Jun sighed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... Alright then.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Ibara headed off to their shared bedroom to get changed out of his work clothes and into something more comfortable. Afterwards, he felt restless, so he sat down on the bed and opened up his tablet; while he had just gotten over a bunch of important deadlines, there was still never ending amounts of work to do. He knew that Jun was probably going to come in at some point and scold him for working at home, but Ibara thought of the money he was raking in, and then using that money to make Jun happy… that was more than enough motivation to keep him going. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara’s earlier prediction was only half right. Jun turned up in the bedroom some time later to inform him that dinner was ready, but right as Ibara finished typing in the sentence to a report that he was writing, Jun was already beside him. Before Ibara could react, Jun grabbed his face and kissed him, and it was over too quickly for Ibara to register what had just happened.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Dinner time, honey~” Jun teased with a smile, walking back into the kitchen. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Coming, sweetheart~” Ibara had to spend a moment to mentally recover before he played along. He put his tablet down and followed his Jun to the dining area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only fried rice, but somehow Jun had elevated the dish and it was absolutely delicious. Ibara was halfway through his food before he realised that Jun was looking at him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I have nothing better to do than to look at you.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“If you call me cute, I’ll wipe your existence from the idol world.” Ibara already knew what was coming.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re adorable.” When Ibara adjusted his glasses and tried to focus on his food again to hide his embarrassment, Jun couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. Luckily Ibara was so busy eating that he wasn’t looking at Jun at all, otherwise he would have stepped on his foot or something to get him to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara was finished in no time. “Thank you for the meal.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s no problem.” Jun got up from his seat and went to the fridge, taking out the pudding and the box while Ibara fetched spoons. Ibara stared intently at Jun while he unboxed and…</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... How much did this cost?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The first thing you comment on is the cost? I’m the vice president of Cosmic Production! There are many things I can afford, so money is certainly not a concern!” Ibara had the most smug expression in the world and Jun wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his face.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah, I know, but… are you sure this thing is even supposed to be eaten? It looks way too pretty…</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m sure that it tastes as good as it looks!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara dug into his pudding. Jun had somehow found out that his favourite flavour was mango; on one hand he wondered how Jun got his hand on information that Ibara carefully hid even from his boyfriend, but on the other hand, he was pleasantly surprised that Jun had gone great lengths to gather said information. Sure, desserts in general were sugary and unhealthy and this was no different, but Ibara was more than willing to have a cheat day and indulge after getting through a week of elevated stress. He could easily burn off the calories over time and as long as he mostly stuck to healthy eating, having something like this every now and then wasn’t going to hurt. Besides, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had pudding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun was served a slice of intricately decorated strawberry sponge cake. Ibara was right; it really tasted as good as it looked and Jun savoured every single bite of it. He had never tasted something this amazing in his life and it was way beyond anything that Hiyori had ever bought him. Suddenly he felt extremely awkward; the pudding had probably cost him nothing compared to the cake that Ibara presented.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Where did you get this?” Jun asked after finishing a mouthful.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“That’s a secret! Were you thinking of buying something from that shop for me? Don’t even think about it, that would hurt you a lot financially.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Goddamn.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ahahaha~ it makes me happy to be able to beat you in that regard.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Then I’ll just find a way to be better than you in something else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both of them finished their respective desserts at the same time and cleanup was quickly handled due to their combined efforts. Ibara had already taken a shower at ES since he had been to the gym before coming home, and Jun had done a similar thing (though he had visited the gym earlier). Jun made a beeline towards their shared bed, spreading himself out across the mattress. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ibaraaa.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What is it?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Come here.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“How am I supposed to lie down when you’ve taken up all of the space?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We’re cuddling, of course. Can’t you get the hint?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara felt a familiar warmth blossom his chest as he took off his glasses, placing them by the bedside table before joining Jun on the bed. Jun immediately snuggled up to him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You miss this, don’t you?” Ibara asked.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s frustrating that we could go without literally touching each other for weeks on end and you won’t even try to get my attention.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I apologise for my ability to survive without physical affection!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah yeah, I get that you don’t need me.” Jun pouted, nuzzling into the crook of Ibara’s neck. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Since when have I ever said that?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re just dating your work at this point.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Work may have my mind, but you have my heart!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The way you say it makes you sound like you didn’t mean what you said at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara wrapped an arm around Jun to pull him closer. “You know I’m not good at this sort of thing.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Me neither.” Ibara couldn’t think of an appropriate response so he resorted to kissing Jun’s hair. There was something about being embraced by a loved one that gave Ibara a unique sense of happiness. He remembered feeling it for the first time, and it was a completely different sort of satisfaction that was beyond what he felt whenever his plans were a complete success. Initially, it was almost overwhelming and that scared Ibara, but now that he had experienced it more, it became pleasant to spend time with Jun like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara didn’t quite know what to do next, but Jun began to kiss his way up from Ibara’s neck, to his jaw, then cheek, and then finally his mouth. It was passionate almost instantly; Jun tasted like the strawberry cake and Ibara felt proud at his decision for picking out something so delicious, and he was sure that Jun enjoyed it even more than him given that strawberries were his favourite food. In general, there wasn’t much time at all when Ibara and Jun could get intimate like this due to Ibara’s busy schedule, so they both made sure to savour this experience as much as possible. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... Hey. Want to try cuddling to sleep tonight? It's the weekend tomorrow so we can afford to sleep in.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I have some slight concerns about that sleeping position.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Come on, Ibara. It’ll be fine.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes, but we’re both idols-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t we just forget that we’re idols for a moment?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“That may have dire consequences, you know.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What harm could be done for us to act like we’re in a relationship for one night? It’s not like we’re at risk of being discovered in our own apartment anyway.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be honest, Ibara always had some fear in the back of his mind that someone was going to find out about his relationship with Jun. Even if he had control over the media, trying to cover up something took work and covering up a relationship within one of the top three idol units at ES was going to take a lot more effort than usual, especially because he also had such a high ranking position within CosPro. He was afraid that if he acted a bit too close to Jun, others would suspect things, and then rumours could go around, and rumours were always a pain to deal with. He knew he could trust the rest of Eden somewhat (he had a sneaking suspicion that Nagisa and Hiyori probably figured out what was happening between them) but that information was dangerous in the hands of anyone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun began to massage the back of Ibara’s head. Ibara wanted to respond with something rational, but Jun’s touch was doing weird things to his brain and he couldn’t find the words anymore.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Can I just take that as a yes?” Jun asked flatly.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“U-um… can you stop massaging my head for a moment?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You look like you’re really enjoying it.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I can’t think properly when you’re doing it, so it would be best if you didn’t do it if you wanted me to talk.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“But what if I wanted to shut that big, loud mouth of yours?” Ibara was about to make a witty comeback, but Jun used his other hand to massage the back of Ibara’s neck and Ibara failed to stop a groan. Ibara always made sure to have regular breaks to stretch during his long hours in the office so there was no way he had neck or back problems, but for some reason, his body was acting like he needed this (when he certainly didn’t).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun chuckled. “Who’s the one in power now, </span>
  <em>
    <span>vice president</span>
  </em>
  <span>~?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Nn, please… stop…” Ibara reached up to remove Jun’s hands from him, and Jun complied, satisfied with his teasing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“So you’re weak to head and neck massages, huh?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You can do it when we’re alone, but please don’t do it in front of His Excellency and His Highness!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah. Don’t want Nagi-senpai and Ohii-san to pester us any further.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon, it was bedtime, and Ibara wordlessly allowed Jun to spoon him as the latter snaked an arm around his waist. The warmth of Jun pressing up against his back was so overwhelming that Ibara fell asleep almost instantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ibara awoke at 5AM the next morning like he had for the past few years. Usually, he would lightly pat Jun’s head to wake him up before going about his morning routine, but Jun had trapped him with his limbs (legs included) and he couldn’t get anywhere without being released. Ibara elbowed Jun in an attempt to wake him up, but Jun only groaned and pushed into Ibara further.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Jun, it’s time to get up.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Come on… let’s just sleep a bit more…” Jun hugged Ibara tighter in response, still half asleep. Ibara sighed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jun</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Nnngh.” Jun grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To his surprise, Ibara didn’t feel that frustrated at the prospect of waking later and doing less work. He had been sacrificing sleep in order to get work done for the past two weeks, and now he was being forced to catch up on much-needed rest. Just as quickly as he had been woken up, Jun was asleep again, and Ibara could feel his chest moving as he breathed. Since Ibara was usually out of bed and in the bathroom at this time, he was somewhat awake and now he was alone with his thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara would have never thought that he would be here one year earlier, and wondered what his past self would have to say about his present self. Before, he had thought of emotions as gross, disgusting and generally very dangerous territory that should not be touched, but here he was, spooning with someone that he had initially met as a business partner (and he was the small spoon, of all things). Right now, he could confidently say that he had feelings for Jun and felt comfortable with Jun doing this kind of thing to him, though he still remembered the mess of emotions he was when they crossed that boundary together and shared a first kiss. That was awkward to say the least, and Ibara didn’t really get it at the time, but now he understood why people kissed; it had nothing to do with the fact that it felt good, it was the feelings behind the action that caused the surge of happiness within him whenever his lips touched Jun’s. At first, Ibara was afraid of such intense positivity, but eventually he got used to it and it didn’t seem to control him as much anymore. He had clearly been deprived of affection and he didn’t realise how bad it was until then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun’s confession was (thankfully) nothing like what happened in romantic manga, but what bothered Ibara the most was how little control he had over himself during that moment when he laid his heart out in front of him just like Jun had done. His brain to mouth filter, which was usually extremely tight after years and years of negotiations, had been completely destroyed for that single moment and Ibara lost control as his mouth ran and he couldn’t reign it in no matter how hard he tried. On one hand, he liked to think that the situation could have been less awkward if he had been able to approach it with a clearer mind, but on the other, he wouldn’t have been sleeping with Jun in such a comfortable position right now if he hadn’t said everything that he did. Jun was right at that time: he was in deep, deep denial, and he indirectly admitted it in that moment, and it was all Jun’s fault with that blushing expression and hesitant voice that Ibara couldn’t resist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara reached down to the hand that was wrapped around his waist and placed his hand on Jun’s before going back to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time Jun finally worked up the mental willpower to pull himself away from the mattress, Ibara had already dressed for the day, made lunch for the two of them, and was ready to head out the door. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“About time that you got up.” Ibara commented as Jun rose up from the bed, rubbing his eyes.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I just wanted to sleep a bit more…” Jun didn’t seem particularly happy about having to leave the warmth of the bed, and he turned to look at Ibara. “Is it really that late already?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Breakfast and lunch are on the table, I’ll be going now.” Ibara turned to leave but Jun lunged, successfully dragging him onto the bed. Now, Ibara lay on his back while Jun looked down onto him. “Jun! Can you not do that so suddenly please?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“But if I didn’t, you would have left me alone, you know~” Jun pouted. Ibara sighed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What do you want?” Jun leaned down and his lips connected with Ibara’s forehead.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I just wanted to kiss you before you left for work.”<br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we a married couple now?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sure, why not.” Jun grinned. Normally, Ibara would have brushed it off, but with that expression Jun was making, he couldn’t help but play along.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Okay, dear wife, I’ll be leaving for work now~” Ibara stood up and saluted, disappearing out of their apartment. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’ll see you later, darling!” Jun called before the door clicked shut. Ibara couldn’t help but chuckle as he headed towards his ride to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ibara had to go grocery shopping later that night and when he saw the strawberries on sale, there was no way that he was skipping out. Usually, he strictly adhered to the shopping list, but a bit more fruit wasn’t going to hurt, right? Besides, this was all in the name of giving Jun the attention he so desperately wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun opened the door just as Ibara approached it, allowing him inside. Ibara put the groceries down at the doorway, and before Jun could do anything else, Ibara grabbed Jun’s wrists, pinning them to the sides of his head as he slammed him against the door. Ibara went straight for the attack, locking his lips with Jun’s with such ferocity that Jun immediately submitted, allowing Ibara’s tongue to explore his mouth. Jun let out a strangled noise at the back of his throat when his brain finally caught up to reality, but there was no way out of this; struggling against someone with military training was an impossible task. Besides, Jun didn’t really want to struggle anyway because he was thoroughly enjoying this, as much as he hated to admit it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A thin string of saliva formed as they parted, and Ibara didn’t give Jun nearly enough time to rest as he went in again. For some reason, Ibara’s kissing technique was insane and it annoyed Jun that Ibara was somehow super good at every single little thing he laid his hands on, from business to idol work to this. However, it was so out of character for Ibara to be a proficient kisser that for a moment, Jun considered the possibility that Ibara had received advice from someone else on how to do this, even if the mere thought of that was also ridiculous. He concluded that this was just Ibara Saegusa being Ibara Saegusa and decided to leave it at that. Besides, it was already difficult to think when Ibara’s kiss was doing all kinds of weird things to his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time when they stopped for air, Ibara looked into Jun’s eyes, as if he was staring right into his soul. It took more than a few moments for Jun to regain his composure again, and when he did, the atmosphere completely flipped as Ibara laughed loudly.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What’s so funny?” Jun asked. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I didn’t expect for you to fall to my surprise attack so easily!” Ibara managed, putting his hands on his stomach as he doubled over. Jun felt increasingly irritated at being unable to understand why Ibara found this so funny, so he lightly punched him in the stomach before picking up the groceries. Ibara recoiled ever so slightly but his laughter went for long enough to irritate Jun.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh? You bought strawberries.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes! They’re especially for you!” Ibara sounded extremely excited and Jun had a suspicion that the other idol was up to no good. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’ll go put the groceries away, you can go heat up dinner.” Jun decided to put the thought away for now to see what would happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dinner and the resulting cleanup was quickly dealt with, and Jun was about to head to their bedroom before Ibara pulled the punnet of strawberries out from the fridge. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Come on, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jun-kun</span>
  </em>
  <span>, let’s eat the strawberries I bought!” Ibara beamed, washing the strawberries.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I don’t want another Ohii-san in my life.” Jun sighed, but he made his way towards him anyway as he washed the fruit, wrapping his arms around Ibara’s waist from behind before resting his chin on his shoulder. Ibara paid no mind, and soon, both of them were seated at the couch, with Ibara in control of the strawberries.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Say ahh~” Ibara picked up a strawberry and dangled it in front of Jun’s face.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... Really?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I heard that feeding each other was a common activity to do between people romantically interested in each other, so I thought to give it a try!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We’re way beyond romantically interested though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides, you want to eat this strawberry, don’t you?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah, but I can feed myself, you know~”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Who was the one complaining that we hadn’t done lovey-dovey things in a while?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara wasn’t wrong. Jun wanted nothing more than to spend more time with him, though it meant falling into whatever trap Ibara laid out for him. That grin that Ibara had was somehow annoying and cute at the same time and it was frustrating. Jun opened his mouth anyway, and Ibara’s grin grew wider as he popped the strawberry into Jun’s mouth, and he unintentionally caught Ibara’s fingers with his lips as they retracted.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Good boy.” Ibara petted Jun’s head.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’m not a dog.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You certainly looked like you appreciated me touching you.” Jun’s expression only showed annoyance as he chewed, but Ibara knew that he was feeling otherwise. Jun finished the strawberry faster than Ibara anticipated, and suddenly he came up with a scheme of his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun opened his mouth again.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I see you know how to beg!” Ibara exclaimed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Just give me the strawberry, goddamn.” There was an awkward pause before Ibara took another fruit into his hand and fed it to Jun. Jun did his best to contain his smile to avoid giving away anything as he bit into the strawberry once, cutting it in half, and he felt more satisfied than he probably should have been at how Ibara had played into his hand. Unfortunately, months of living with him had made Ibara more perceptive, but by the time he caught on, it was too late.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What are you thinking-” Jun lunged. Ibara, with all of his military training ingrained into him since he was a child, failed to react in time, and Jun’s mouth almost smashed into Ibara’s, silencing him immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun got to work immediately and fortunately, Ibara was more than willing to accept the unexpected present. Kissing Ibara was one thing, but kissing Ibara while sharing food was something that Jun had never tried before and he was pleasantly surprised by the sensation of it all. It quickly got messy and soon Jun was drooling, but he didn’t particularly mind because Ibara made an unintentional “mmph!” and that was more than enough to make all the trouble worth it. In fact, it only served to drive him to go further, and he did his best to deepen the kiss as much as possible. Even though Ibara had better technique, Jun was going to try to make up for it with his passion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara didn’t make any more noises and Jun was determined to get back at him for earlier, so he used a free hand to grasp the back of Ibara’s head, massaging it. Ibara’s hair was incredibly soft as a result of careful treatment over the years and Jun never got sick of touching it, and he also hoped that Ibara would never grow sick of his head and neck massages. Having that kind of power over him felt good mostly because Ibara always seemed to be in that high and mighty position in almost every single aspect of his life and being able to win just that once was gratifying to extents that Jun couldn’t quite explain. Jun desperately wanted to push Ibara down onto the couch so he could be on top, but he remembered that Ibara was holding a bowl of strawberries in one hand and he didn’t want him to spill the fruit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun ran out of breath and had to break away, hoping that Ibara would have lost some of his usual composure, but Ibara wasn’t even blushing. No heavy breathing, no glazed-over eyes, Ibara looked perfectly normal. Frustrated, Jun tried again, trying not to focus too hard on the lingering taste of the strawberry and more on getting a reaction out of Ibara. This was significantly harder than he had initially thought and Ibara was keeping up with him with seeming ease. Jun had an idea; if his kissing was that bad, at least he could try and use some touch to make something happen, so he stroked Ibara’s cheek with a hand, brushing his fingertips with Ibara’s jaw and then his neck. Finally, he placed a palm on Ibara’s chest, pushing down a little so that he could feel Ibara’s heartbeat through his shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all over too quickly and Jun thought that he had done enough to unravel Ibara even if just a little, but to his surprise, nothing had changed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... Eh? The head massage didn’t work?” Jun thought aloud. Ibara looked at him for a solid few seconds before he erupted into laughter. “Hey!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Were you trying to get back at me for what I did earlier?” Ibara could barely speak. Jun grabbed a strawberry from the bowl and shoved it into Ibara’s mouth, silencing him immediately.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I hope you choke on that strawberry and die.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What fighting spirit from someone who’s blushing all over!” Ibara put a hand over his mouth as he spoke while chewing. Jun punched him lightly in the stomach and Ibara had to do everything in his power to not laugh, otherwise he’d get half-chewed fruit everywhere and he didn’t particularly want to have to clean it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun ate another strawberry, finishing it before Ibara could finish his.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You know, if you wanted a crash course on how to become a better kisser, you could always ask me!” Ibara said.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I want to beat you by myself.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Beat me? That’s rich, coming from you.” Ibara put the bowl down on a nearby table. Jun tried to respond but Ibara leaned in and their lips connected. It got steamy extremely quickly and Jun’s brain short-circuited as Ibara put his hands on Jun’s shoulders and gave him a gentle push, and Jun couldn’t help but submit, making unintentional noises as he did so. Whenever they kissed horizontally, Jun was almost always the one on top, so being on the bottom like this was an interesting new experience that Jun didn’t mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm, being on top sure feels good.” Ibara licked his lips and looked down on Jun like a predator about to consume its prey. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Heh, this position doesn’t feel too bad.” Jun commented, returning the same amount of energy. Neither of them cared that they had work tomorrow, the night was still young after all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A few days later…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t unusual for Jun to have work outside of ES (though most of it was within ES), and he hopped into his ride at the front gate, before he pulled out his phone to determine what the job was all about; it was an interview and then a photoshoot. Jun took a look at the notes regarding the interview and mentally prepared some answers for it, and the ride gave him more than enough time to think.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The schedule had said that he would be doing this by himself, but he was hit with confusion as he arrived at the venue. Not only was he being dropped off at an indoor hot spring place, but Ibara was standing at the entrance, saluting with the most smug expression Jun had ever seen.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ibara? Why are you here?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The notes on the schedule were supposed to lower your guard and allow me to strike with ease!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Just get to the point.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Alright alright, I’ll explain. I read about the health benefits of soaking in a hot spring, so I thought that it would be a good idea to take Eden to such a place. Of course, there are multiple options and this one looked promising, so I thought to pay it a visit and try out its services before organising for the rest of us to come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why am I here?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re here for moral support!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You need moral support? Really?” Jun raised an eyebrow.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes! A visit to a hot spring is great for improving teamwork, so I thought to optimise my time spent here by bringing along another member of Eden. Besides, we can enjoy ourselves while we’re here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a moment, but Jun connected the dots. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... Did you just put a date on my schedule?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ahaha, I wouldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do such a thing!” Ibara’s sarcastic remark only confirmed Jun’s conclusion. Sometimes Jun wondered why he was in love with this idiot.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I thought this was supposed to be work.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“This is all for the sake of Eden, after all! If you don’t want to do this, then we can both go back to ES and you can spend the next few hours running errands for me~”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Goddamn, fine. Where do we go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara beamed. Jun didn’t like admitting it but even though he had seen this expression so many times over the course of the past year or so, he got an urge to hug or kiss him every single time he saw it, or just show some kind of affection whenever Ibara did it, because it was almost irresistibly cute.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“This way inside! Everything is already waiting for us!” Jun could easily see a shoujo manga scene play out in his head, where rainbows and flowers and sparkles filled the air as Ibara took Jun’s hand and led him into the building, his hair swaying in the wind in slow motion, and then Jun would smile and laugh and follow as his emotions overflowed. What actually happened wasn’t nearly as dramatic: Ibara waited for Jun to reach his side before they entered together, like they were just friends who wanted to try out something new together. It was obvious why they couldn’t show any affection towards each other in the open, but sometimes Jun wondered what things they would have been doing if they could display their love with no repercussions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun had seen Ibara naked enough times to not be awkward about it anymore and he was sure that the same applied to Ibara as they stripped down and showered in their private room. As Jun rubbed the provided body wash all over him, he almost jumped out of his skin as he felt hands on his shoulders.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Can you not surprise me like that?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Your reaction is always amusing.” Ibara chuckled, and Jun realised that his back was being washed. Despite their relationship, they almost always showered separately to save time and water, so this wasn’t something that Jun got to experience on a regular basis. Jun also didn’t realise that back-washing was a skill until just now, and while this wasn’t a massage, Ibara’s hands were doing wonders to his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, let me do it to you too.” Jun said after rinsing himself off. Being able to touch Ibara in this way was making Jun a lot more anxious than he should be, but it all quickly faded away as he focussed on doing the best he could, rubbing the body wash into Ibara’s back.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Nervous?” Ibara asked. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“A bit.” Jun knew that there was no point in lying so he didn’t bother. He could sense Ibara’s smile even though he couldn’t see his face.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Don’t be. We’re here to relax.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Am I talking to the producer Ibara or the boyfriend Ibara?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Ahahaha! I apologise, you’ve used the term so sparingly that I’m not used to it, and I couldn’t help but laugh!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We’ve been dating for almost a year and somehow you still don’t think you’re my boyfriend. I’m hurt, you know~”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara whipped around, grabbing Jun’s head and pulling him into a deep kiss. By the time Jun registered what happened, it was already over and Ibara was looking at him with a stupid grin.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We don’t need to use unnecessary and embarrassing labels.” Ibara turned back around again to let Jun finish washing his back.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re amazing at manipulating people with that mouth of yours, but somehow you stumble while talking about love?” Jun chuckled. Ibara grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, they were in the hot spring. Jun had never been to such a place before, and now he was glad that Ibara gave him a chance to experience it because it felt seriously good. All of the tension that he didn’t even know existed washed away almost instantly and he wanted to stay in this moment of bliss for as long as possible as he allowed the water to come up to his shoulders. He couldn’t help but close his eyes to savour the moment more, leaning back against the edge of the pool to relax his legs, but he had to open his eyes again to stop himself from falling asleep. Beside him, Ibara had taken off his glasses, most likely because they weren’t going to be very useful if they were fogged up all the time, and his shoulder-length hair was tied in the tiniest (and cutest) ponytail Jun had ever seen. It didn’t allow Ibara to put that much more of his body under the water, but at least it helped him to prevent his hair from getting wet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun couldn’t remember the last time he had a bath. This whole time, he thought that a shower would have been sufficient when it came to warming up his body, but now that he had soaked in a hot spring, there was no going back. He recalled that Ibara had done some research into the health benefit of a hot spring, and he was excited at the prospect of being able to come back again. Right now, the weather wasn’t so bad, but returning during the winter would be an extra special treat, and Jun hoped that this would become a regular activity, even if it wasn’t as a date with Ibara. He was still a little annoyed at the way he had been roped into this thanks to Ibara’s position as a producer, but now that he was here, Jun was honestly thankful. Plus, every single bit of time he got to spend with Ibara alone was precious and if Ibara was offering it to him on a silver platter, there was no way that he was going to turn it down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun jolted out of his thoughts as a pair of arms wrapped around him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hey, I thought I told you not to do that!” Jun exclaimed. Ibara backed off, raising his hands.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, I’m sorry for attacking you like that! I thought you would have appreciated a hug!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well… yeah, hugging you feels nice, but at least give me a bit of warning first~” Ibara approached Jun again and put an arm around his waist, pulling him closer. This time, Jun was wary of Ibara’s presence so he wasn’t unpleasantly surprised, and he leaned his head onto Ibara’s shoulder. Jun thought that this couldn’t get any better, but being intimate with Ibara while surrounded by hot water pushed everything to a whole different level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Jun returned the hug with an arm around Ibara, he couldn’t help but notice how toned Ibara was, which he did almost every single time they embraced. It was understandable considering the amount of time he spent in the gym, but somehow Ibara had been able to achieve his figure despite a packed schedule, apparently through the power of perfect time management.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“The hot springs are often a social place, however I take it that you would prefer not to talk?” Ibara asked. Jun was so comfortable that he forgot to respond for a moment.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah. Just want to enjoy the moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun always appreciated silence, mostly because a lot of his working days had to be spent around Hiyori who had an obnoxiously loud mouth. He was sure that Ibara did too, probably to get away from all of the talking he had to do in order to maintain connections and keep up his status as the vice president of Cosmic Production. It didn’t help that he was also Eden’s producer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ibara?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Can I give you a massage?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“There’s no need to! I can order a massage-”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I want to give it to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara turned to look at Jun. “You’re just using any excuse you can find to do something to me, am I wrong?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We haven’t had an actual date in ages. You treated me to this, so the least I can do is give something back.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I wonder what I did to deserve you.” Ibara was truly a jerk at times and the producer was aware of it, but Jun had also seen the other side that he had fallen hopelessly in love with. Never mind that, Jun had fallen in love with all of Ibara, including the nasty bits that came with the package.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I could say the same.” Jun allowed Ibara to position himself in front of him before he got to work on Ibara’s shoulders. He recalled back to those days of his childhood where his father would demand a massage from him, and although the memories were not pleasant, he still retained those skills. Hiyori had complimented him before when he first gave his senior this kind of treatment, so he had some confidence in knowing that Ibara would appreciate it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara hummed in satisfaction as Jun pressed his thumbs into all the right places. Considering Ibara was a master of self-care, it seemed almost out of character that he had knots in his shoulders. Jun remembered Ibara talking about how he stretched fairly often to keep in shape while staring at a computer screen for several hours a day, but Jun supposed that it didn’t work completely as soon as Ibara upped his working hours in order to keep up with deadlines.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Where did you learn how to do this?” Ibara asked.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“My dad taught me.” Jun replied. Ibara made no further comment about how he learned about massages, knowing that the topic of Jun’s parents (or just his childhood in general) was a sensitive one. He didn’t particularly want to explore it too much as this occasion was supposed to be just for them to enjoy time together. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’re very good at this! I could have saved a lot of time and money if I had known that you were this skilled.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun opted to focus on the task at hand instead of responding. It had been a while since he had been able to give a massage to anyone; he had always hid this ability as much as possible as it brought up bad memories, but it was only today when he could finally forget that the person in front of him was not his father. He wasn’t massaging a person who could turn on him at a moment’s notice; he was massaging Ibara, who was the vice president of Cosmic Production, his producer, a fellow idol unit member. However, most importantly, Ibara was his lover, and there was nothing that could bring Jun more happiness than Ibara’s own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ibara stayed perfectly still as Jun gave him treatment, and after it was over, Jun couldn’t think of a more appropriate action than to peck Ibara on the cheek.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It never fails to surprise me how romantic you can get.” Ibara was half-mocking him as a joke, but that soft smile told Jun something else. It was a smile that Jun had never seen Ibara give to anyone else, and he felt something warm surface from within upon that realisation. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“When I first heard your obnoxious laugh, the last thing I thought about was dating you.” Jun countered with his own joke. Ibara chuckled. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Is my laugh still obnoxious?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“You’ve put on a ridiculous amount of cuteness over time.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Isn’t that just because we’ve spent more time together?” Jun couldn’t believe that he just heard Ibara call him </span>
  <em>
    <span>cute</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t make it any less illegal.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun’s brain short-circuited at the comment and by the time he recovered, Ibara was already kissing him, his hand on Jun’s. Usually, Ibara’s kisses messed with Jun’s mind in ways that he couldn’t explain, but this time, the kiss was so soft and tender that Jun’s heart was in his throat, and it only got worse as Ibara entwined their fingers together. Ibara wasn’t one to get romantic, but the gentle movement of his lips was convincing Jun that there was that hidden side to Ibara, suppressed alongside the rest of his emotions, until Jun had unearthed everything with this relationship. Ibara tilted his head to get a better angle and Jun reached up with his free hand to caress Ibara’s cheek, savouring the feeling of the skin under his grasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun thought that this couldn’t get any better as they parted for air, but Ibara gazed at him with those blue eyes, an affectionate smile on his features that caused Jun’s heart to shatter into a million tiny pieces. When Ibara squeezed his hand, whatever restraint Jun had left went out the window and he went for it, kissing him with all of his heart and soul, holding onto Ibara’s other hand and entwining fingers too. Jun didn’t get moments like these often, but right now, his emotions were at a peak and there was no way that he was going to stop himself from displaying everything to Ibara, in this private space where no one in the world was going to see it except the person that he cared about the most. He loved Ibara, he loved Ibara so much that it hurt sometimes, and from the way Ibara kissed him back, Jun was sure that Ibara felt the same. Even after all the time that they spent together, Ibara was always a little hesitant when it came to displaying his feelings, but right now he was holding nothing back, returning the intensity and Jun felt so impossibly happy that he thought he was going to explode.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jun didn’t know whether it was the heat from the hot spring that was making him dizzy, or if it was his feelings, or if it was the lack of oxygen from kissing for too long, but Ibara filled his thoughts and even if he tried, there was nothing that he could do from getting his lover out of his head.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Next time, can you not hold both of my hands like this?” Ibara lifted up one of his hands, somehow looking irritated and happy at the same time.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What if I want to hold your head in place or touch your hair or push you down?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Goddamn, can you stop being so cute?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Wha-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sight of Ibara blushing from ear to ear was irresistible and Jun pressed his lips on Ibara’s again.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy JunIba Day.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>